The farmers of Ukraine have learned some harsh lessons during this long war. They park their machinery in separate locations to minimize losses should there be a rocket attack. They closely guard the details of their operations, such as location of grain storage, even from friendly visitors. “Just please don’t take pictures. And don’t write […] Read more
Stories by Ihor Pavliuk
War exacerbates Ukraine’s farm worker shortage
More and more Ukrainians find themselves in uniform as the war drags on, making it difficult for the country’s farmers
Glacier FarmMedia – Most of Ukraine’s tractor drivers and combine operators are now soldiers, and it is difficult to replace them, even though agriculture work pays very well. When I was in my senior year of school and got bad grades, my parents would scare me by saying I wouldn’t go to university and would […] Read more
Ukrainians remain positive as war continues
The people of Ukraine continue to adapt, survive and thrive as the Russian invasion of their country enters its third year
Glacier FarmMedia – You wake up in the morning and drink coffee before starting the work day. You turn on the TV and listen to a long list of deaths and destruction that happened in your country overnight. The announcer speaks almost without emotion, as if he is talking about everyday, ordinary things. You hear […] Read more
Farm family carries on as war rages
Glacier FarmMedia – After more than two years of all-out war, I have heard many incredible stories of people and how they cope, survive and even thrive. At times I think I will be surprised by nothing. In some parts of the country, in relatively peaceful regions, some live much as they did before the […] Read more
War teaches Ukrainian farmers tough lessons
As the war approaches its second anniversary, the farmers who adapted earliest have been in the best position to survive
Feb. 24 marks two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It seems like a short time, but it has caused huge upheaval in our society. Hundreds of thousands have died and millions have lost their homes. Ukraine’s agriculture was hit very hard by the war. Most of the country’s farmers were on the verge of […] Read more
Rebuilding in the rubble
UKRAINE: Hryhoriy Tkachenko revives his farm after the occupation
One and a half years have passed since the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. The farm of Hryhoriy Tkachenko came under attack in the first days of the war. During the three weeks of occupation, the farm was so badly damaged that he still cannot restore everything. It was the near-total destruction of 20 […] Read more
Ukrainian farmers prepare for desert’s arrival
Ihor Pavliuk provides a first-hand look at the struggles of living in war-time Ukraine. To an enormous country like Canada, Ukraine might seem small. But it is the largest country that exists entirely within Europe. It has many natural landscapes — forests, mountains, forest-steppe (what you know as the parkland in Western Canada) and steppe […] Read more
Ukraine: protect the living, honour the dead
FIRST PERSON: As summer approaches, there is comfort in tradition as thoughts turn to harsh times yet to come
I admire my compatriots. Despite everything, they stubbornly do their job. Their thoughts are with hundreds of thousands of compatriots in military uniform who, despite everything, are steadfastly repelling the enemy.
Life has changed for Ukrainian farmer coping with war
Ukrainian farmer Yuriy Vovchenko survived the Russian occupation and constant shelling for eight months but his life has changed immeasurably. I have known him for years and since the invasion I have wanted to phone him many times but each time I dialed, I stopped, because I was afraid I might hear that he’d died. […] Read more
War in Ukraine spans farm fields to battlefields
From time to time, Oleh visits the positions of troops on the front lines of war in east Ukraine. While there, he looks hopefully to the horizon. There, just two kilometres away, are his fields, shop and grain warehouse now occupied by Russian invaders. I will not write Oleh’s last name, nor will I show […] Read more
